Your Valentine
by Leebot
Summary: Shizuru x Natsuki Valentine's Day special. Chapter 1: Pure fluff. Chapter 2 earns its M rating.
1. A Place to Call Home

**Author's Note:** Well, I've decided to do this fic in two chapters for a couple of reasons. The first is that it allows me to keep one chapter under an M rating for anyone who might be put off by that (though I have yet to see any evidence that such fans exist, but just in case). Also, it allows me to at least get this chapter out on time, even if I'll have to keep you waiting for the next one.

Anyways, I've decided to place this fic within the timeline of I'm Yours, jumping forwards to Valentine's Day. You don't have to read that one to understand this, but it wouldn't hurt.

I've decided to make a special dedication of this fic to… you. Yes, you. No, not all those other readers, _you_. So, will you be my Valentine? -puppy-Natsuki eyes-

* * *

**Title: **Your Valentine 

**Rating: **T (this chapter only, next is M)

**Chapter 1:** A Place to Call Home

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Natsuki paused as she reached Shizuru's front door. She could have simply used her key to get in – in fact, she'd already used her garage key so she could store her bike in there – but she wanted to do this properly. Simply walking in through the door just didn't seem as romantic as letting Shizuru answer it and find her waiting there, a box of chocolates in her hand. 

Of course, the flip side was that it made Natsuki feel childish and awkward. Being romantic like this just wasn't her thing, and if anyone ever asked about this, she'd deny, deny, and deny some more. There was only one person Kuga Natsuki would ever do something like this for, or even admit to doing something like this to: Fujino Shizuru. There was just something about the way Shizuru reacted that made embarrassing herself like this alright. She loved the little romantic things in their own rights, but Natsuki figured that it was the fact that she was actually doing them that pushed Shizuru over the edge.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to make her girlfriend blush when she applied herself and did a little something extra that she wouldn't normally do. Shizuru was always gorgeous when she blushed, and Natsuki was starting to get an idea of why she always enjoyed provoking this reaction in her. Of course, in Natsuki's case, Shizuru claimed that blushing made her cute – a thought which tended to make her blushing even worse – but the important part was that Shizuru enjoyed it.

_The important part is that Shizuru enjoys it,_ Natsuki repeated to herself. This part of her plans was likely to be one of the easiest parts, modesty-wise. She unconsciously shifted the duffel bag which hug from her shoulder, trying not to think of the change of clothing and other supplies inside too much. She'd have plenty of time to worry about that later, and it would hopefully be easier then, after she'd seen Shizuru and they'd spent a little time together. It was always hard to think of the more intimate things she and Shizuru had taken to doing in the last couple of months when she wasn't in the mood, but a little physical contact from Shizuru and all the other soothing aspects of her presence made it not only alright, but something Natsuki desperately wanted.

Deciding she'd hesitated long enough, Natsuki reached out to ring Shizuru's doorbell. Music rang from inside, slightly muffled. Shizuru had changed the bell sound to something more personal not long after moving into this house. It sounded like some kind of enka music to Natsuki, though she couldn't figure out which song in particular. When asked about it, Shizuru had always just told her that it was something personal, and eventually Natsuki had given up. It had been over a month now since she'd bothered with the doorbell, so she hadn't thought about it for a while. Maybe now that she and Shizuru were opening up with each other more, she'd be willing to explain the significance behind the song. Natsuki reminded herself to ask about it later.

Shizuru took longer to reach the door than Natsuki had expected. She'd figured that Shizuru would have heard the garage open and close and would have guessed at her intentions. Perhaps she hadn't, or perhaps she was just pretending she hadn't. Or, most likely, it was just one of her many ways of teasing Natsuki. Well, if she was trying to make her anxious, Natsuki didn't plan to fall into that trap. She'd be smooth, confident, and romantic.

Natsuki held her heart-shaped box of chocolates out and allowed a loving grin to cross her face just as the door swung open. "Happy Valentine's Day!" she said just as Shizuru came into view, then promptly considered herself lucky she'd said it then. The sight of Shizuru left her breathless. She was wearing one of her favorite kimonos, a pale purple number adorned by various flowers, with her hair worn back fashionably. She was the perfect picture of the traditionally elegant Japanese woman.

Natsuki's thoughts started drifting in the direction of feeling bad that she'd put less effort into her outfit than Shizuru, wearing only her casual clothing beneath her jacket, but the look on Shizuru's face pushed those thoughts from her mind. Shizuru couldn't have cared less about what Natsuki was wearing. Her face lit up beautifully when she observed Natsuki. She wore a smile that was reserved specifically for these moments, and it never failed to send a wave of warmth through Natsuki's chest as she realized how special she was to Shizuru.

"Good evening, Natsuki," Shizuru said, bowing politely. She was trying to be formal, but Natsuki sensed something in her voice that sounded a bit off. The devil's advocate in her head suspected that Shizuru was repressing a "So cute!" reaction, but she tried not to pay it much mind lest she spontaneously break out into a blush. "Please come in," Shizuru continued, politely moving to the side and motioning for Natsuki to enter. The undercurrent in her voice seemed to have intensified now, but Natsuki ignored it and made her way inside.

Natsuki dropped the chocolates and her duffel bag off on a nearby table as she made her way to the coat closet. She kicked off her shoes, and then said as she removed her coat, "Er, sorry I didn't dress up any more Shizuru. I would've if I'd known you were going to."

"It's alright, Natsuki," Shizuru said from behind her, and Natsuki could hear the smile in her girlfriend's voice. It had softened a little from the formal tone she'd put on before. "I wouldn't mind even if Natsuki came here wearing nothing at all."

Natsuki's face lit up in a blush before she could push the thought of standing naked at Shizuru's doorstep out of her mind. _Damn it! It didn't take her thirty seconds from me getting in the door to make me blush. At least I've got my back turned to her…_ Natsuki had hoped that she'd develop a resistance to Shizuru's teasing once they started going out, but she'd had no such luck. Maybe on some level she just didn't want to. Teasing was, after all, one of Shizuru's ways of showing her love, and so it did cause a little throbbing in her heart whenever Natsuki was the subject of it.

Natsuki rapidly shook those thoughts from her head and hung up her coat. She was not going to admit to enjoying Shizuru's teasing. _Because then it'd stop working so we- No! You shut up! I get enough teasing from Shizuru, I don't need my own subconscious joini-_ "Ahh!" Natsuki let out a yelp and stumbled forwards as Shizuru practically pounced on her from behind. Her girlfriend's arms wrapped around her securely, though, one across her shoulders and the other below her breasts, and held her up.

"Now what isn't okay," Shizuru said into Natsuki's ear in a teasingly upset tone, "is to try to hide one of my rightfully-earned blushes from me. And this is after you decided to come in through the front door so I couldn't hug you like this as soon you as you entered. Natsuki no ikezu."

As she regained her balance, Natsuki relaxed into the hug and started to giggle at Shizuru's antics. Even in a kimono, she could be as silly as ever. It was really endearing, actually. Shizuru was the perfect mix of elegance and playfulness, and displays like this just emphasized it in Natsuki's mind. A wave of love for Shizuru taking over her, Natsuki leaned her head back and turned it to the side, allowing her lips to meet Shizuru's in a tender kiss.

Shizuru wasn't expecting the kiss, but she certainly didn't complain. She let out a slight yelp of pleasant surprise as Natsuki's lips met hers, but she quickly returned the kiss. Her lips moved slowly and gently against Natsuki's. They'd have plenty of time for passionate kisses later; for now they were both simply content with allowing their kiss to be sweet and gentle.

Natsuki found herself melting into Shizuru's arms as their embrace continued. Her hands drifted up to lie on top of Shizuru's, holding them against her body. It felt like Shizuru's love was washing through her body, filling her with a pleasant warmth. She weakened in her lover's arms, and she tried to let her own love pour out through her kiss so Shizuru could feel the same way. This feeling, this moment was absolute bliss. She'd been an idiot to hold back for so long. Why was she ever afraid of feeling like this?

Remembered excuses drifted up in Natsuki's mind: She'd been afraid of loving because she'd been afraid of being abandoned again. But it had finally occurred to her that Shizuru wasn't going away, whether or not her love was returned. That realization had made it alright for her to examine her own feelings and acknowledge that she felt something more than friendship for Shizuru.

That realization, along with a few fantasies that started haunting her dreams, had led to an embarrassing attempt at a birthday present for Shizuru, followed eventually by a much more satisfactory – for both of them – Christmas. Time would tell how well her planned Valentine's Day present would turn out. At least, now that she was with Shizuru, she felt like she might have enough courage to go through with it.

But that was too far in the future. Natsuki was content just enjoying the moment with Shizuru for now. She gently withdrew from the kiss and gave Shizuru a smile. "I love you, Shizuru," she said.

The reaction on her girlfriend's face was just as sweet as every time Natsuki uttered those words. There was a small amount of disbelief, as if she still couldn't quite believe this was really happening. Also present was a kind-of "I don't deserve this" expression, which Natsuki heartily disagreed with. But most prominent was the simple happiness, which was always enough to express itself through teardrops forming in Shizuru's eyes. Sniffing back the tears, Shizuru said, "I love you too, Natsuki. Happy Valentine's Day."

Natsuki briefly mused that she didn't have such a beautiful reaction typically to Shizuru's professions of love, and a wave of guilt struck her for a moment. She felt something, certainly. Ever since she'd figured out her own feelings, Shizuru's professions had meant a bit more to Natsuki, and she felt a sweet pang in her heart with every one. It was just too bad Shizuru couldn't see that reaction in her.

On the other hand, Shizuru did get plenty of fun making Natsuki blush with her teasing, so maybe it evened out in the end. With that though, a wicked idea struck Natsuki. If she were to start blushing at Shizuru's admissions of love, she might lighten up on the teasing in favor of that. She would never get completely free of blushing around her girlfriend, but perhaps she could at least get out of some of the teasing. The trick was getting herself to blush at the right time.

"Natsuki is so cute when she's lost in thought," Shizuru said, breaking Natsuki out of her reverie and sending a blush quickly to her cheeks.

Natsuki let out a mental sigh. _Guess that's it then. When she says "I love you," I'll just have to mentally add on "Natsuki is so cute." I just hope I'll be able to take it._

"So what was Natsuki thinking about?" Shizuru asked when it was clear that Natsuki was remaining silent.

Natsuki twisted in Shizuru's embrace and freed an arm. She playfully tapped a finger to Shizuru's nose and put on a fake scowl. "You. And how much you always torment me."

Shizuru got back at her by leaning forward and standing on her toes slightly so she could land a kiss on Natsuki's nose. "You know you love it, and I know too. I wouldn't do it otherwise."

_Damn you._ Natsuki was really at a loss in their arguments ever since Shizuru had dragged that little secret out of her during their first night together. She let out a soft growl as she pushed out of the hug, trying to think of something to change the subject. She found one when her eyes landed on the box of chocolates she'd brought for Shizuru. She went over to retrieve them.

"Er, anyways, Shizuru, I got you these for Valentine's Day," Natsuki said as she picked up the box and turned around. She presented the box to Shizuru. "I know how much of a sweet tooth you have, however much you try to hide it from others."

Shizuru's eyes showed a brief flicker of surprise as she took the box from Natsuki. "How did Natsuki find out…?" she asked cautiously.

Natsuki smiled victoriously. It wasn't often she caught Shizuru off-guard, and she planned to relish it. She kept Shizuru waiting for a moment before she explained, "I've spent the night here plenty of times, and made myself breakfast on a couple of occasions when I woke up before you. In searching for mayo – which by the way, you're out of as of last Thursday – I found your secret stash." Putting on her best imitation of Shizuru's accent, Natsuki said, "It seems that tea isn't the only thing Shizuru's addicted to."

A blush alit on Shizuru's face, and she dropped her gaze down from Natsuki. After a minute, she let out a sigh and put on a smile. "Ara, I guess you caught me." Natsuki's victory smile widened. "But there is one thing Natsuki should be warned about. When I eat chocolate, I get a little…"

"Frisky?" Natsuki supplied, taking a step closer to Shizuru. The blush on her girlfriend's face deepened. She tried to make her voice as alluring as possible, though she didn't have much practice with it, and so she wasn't really sure if she was succeeding. "Aroused?" Another step, an even deeper blush on Shizuru. "Wanting to do some very naughty things to your girlfriend?"

Shizuru's blush now rivaled some of the best she'd ever provoked in Natsuki. Seeing if she could actually top Shizuru, Natsuki pressed one step further. She reached a hand up to gently stroke along Shizuru's arm, feeling the soft fabric of the kimono and Shizuru's even softer flesh beneath it. "I was counting on it," Natsuki finished, looking coyly up into Shizuru's eyes.

A weak whimper came from Shizuru, and she seemed to burst a blood vessel in her cheek. Natsuki briefly considered pushing her even further with a sweet "I love you," but she figured Shizuru had had enough. She didn't have the practice to keep up these big blushes, after all. So Natsuki calmly waited until Shizuru's blush had settled down enough for the girl to get out a soft, "Natsuki's going to pay for this."

Natsuki couldn't help herself as she broke out into laughter. Shizuru would always be Shizuru, even right after she'd been defeated. Giving her lover a quick kiss on the nose, much as she'd received earlier, Natsuki said, "Don't worry, I've got that planned out too." Before Shizuru could question her on this, Natsuki continued, poking the box of chocolates with her finger, "Now eat! I bought those for you; I want you to enjoy them."

"Yes, cuddlebunny," Shizuru said, catching Natsuki off-guard with the use of that nickname and prompting a blush in her. Shizuru made her way to the kitchen as she opened up the box, leaving Natsuki to lament letting her guard down. She only wasted a few moments on it, though. It was inevitable with Shizuru, so there was no point in fretting over it. Shaking her head, Natsuki followed Shizuru into the kitchen and sat down across from her at the table. She simply watched Shizuru as she ate, marveling at how the girl still managed to seem perfectly elegant as she did so. The woman was truly inhuman.

_That's it then. She isn't human. She's a goddess._ My_ goddess._ A smile came unbidden to Natsuki's face as she watched Shizuru. She idly wondered the object of her affection was currently thinking about. She certainly didn't mind just standing there watching her – it was hard to imagine a more beautiful sight then Shizuru in one of her best kimonos – but perhaps Shizuru was getting a bit bored. She wasn't showing it, but it was always hard to tell with her.

"Ara, Natsuki is looking hungry herself," Shizuru said, drawing Natsuki out of her thoughts. She quirked an eyebrow at her girlfriend, causing Natsuki to think that she might have intended a different meaning by "hungry." "Perhaps I could share a few of these lovely treats with her."

"Hmm? No!" Natsuki protested. "I got those for you!"

"Yes, and the best thing I can think of to do with them on Valentine's Day is to share them with Natsuki." Shizuru pushed the box across the table so it was halfway between her and Natsuki. Natsuki noticed that it was already half empty. Time must have really flown by while she was watching Shizuru. "Besides," Shizuru continued, a sparkle forming in her eye. "I wouldn't want to be the only one affected by them."

"Hmm, well alright," Natsuki said, picking a piece out of the box. "But so you know, chocolate really doesn't do it for me like that." Natsuki popped the piece into her mouth and chewed into it. She'd been sure to pick out quality sweets for Shizuru, and she was glad to confirm that they were indeed quite delicious.

"Well I guess I'll just have to do something else to get Natsuki in the mood," Shizuru said. Her mouth managed to maintain a mischievous grin even as she placed a chocolate into it and started chewing. Natsuki reaffirmed her prior observation that Shizuru was inhuman. Shizuru swallowed the chocolate and said, "Fortunately, I do have a couple of things planned. Natsuki might not be easy to get into the mood, but she does have her tricks."

A slight blush made its way to Natsuki's cheeks. The thought that Shizuru was learning how to get her into the mood best might have sent her running for the hills a couple months ago, but it was only mildly embarrassing now. When she was honest with herself, it wasn't getting into the mood that frightened her, it was thinking about going ahead with things when she wasn't ready for it. If Shizuru was to make sure she got Natsuki appropriately aroused first, then that was alright, wasn't it? No need to worry about her modesty causing her to scream and run. The problem was trusting Shizuru to do that. She'd likely push things every once in a while just for the reaction.

"Hmm… I think Natsuki's redder…"

"What?" Natsuki broke out of her thoughts to focus on Shizuru. Her girlfriend had a cherry-filled chocolate held up in front of her, half of it bitten off. She kept glancing between it and Natsuki's face.

"Oh yes, definitely Natsuki. She's much cuter, too." With a small grin, Shizuru tossed the chocolate into her mouth while a very red Natsuki fumed at her from across the table.

"Baka," Natsuki spat back. It wasn't much of a comeback, really. More of an admission of defeat, in her own way. She indignantly leaned back in her chair and grabbed a chocolate. She popped it into her mouth and chewed as angrily as she could, resulting only in an amused giggle from Shizuru. Despite herself, Natsuki ended up admiring the beautiful sound of her girlfriend's laughter.

"So tell me, Natsuki," Shizuru said as her laughter subsided. "How did you figure out what chocolate does to me? I don't think just snooping around my kitchen could clue you in to that."

Natsuki chuckled. "I've got my secrets." Taking a chocolate from the box, she tossed it into her mouth and chewed in as coy a manner as she could manage.

Of course, when it came to manipulative facial expressions, Shizuru was the master. Right now, she put on a pathetic pout and whined, "Natsuki's been keeping secrets from me?"

Natsuki could not help but stare back into Shizuru's eyes. She'd opened them wide, pleading with Natsuki. A bolt of pain hit Natsuki's heart seeing Shizuru like this. She was almost positive it was just an act, but it still hurt. Giving a frustrated sigh, Natsuki gave in. "Fine, fine. You talk in your sleep."

Shizuru's pout vanished in an instant, confirming Natsuki's suspicions that it was an act. It was replaced by a somewhat surprised and nervous look. "What do I say?" she asked.

Natsuki chuckled. It was quite fun being able to twist Shizuru around her finger like this, if only for a moment. Of course, she knew if she held out too long, Shizuru would deploy her pout again. Rather than facing assured defeat, she decided to show mercy on her girlfriend. "Mostly you seem to be talking to me, and I seem to be quite a tease in your dreams, judging by all the 'Ikezus' I hear." Shizuru's cheeks tinged pink, and Natsuki knew that she'd guessed correctly. "I've also picked up a few other things, such as what chocolate does to you." _What exactly I heard you say… well, maybe I'll tell you later tonight. Er, after I show you…_

"Yup, Natsuki's definitely redder." Natsuki glared at Shizuru, finding that she'd picked out another cherry-filled chocolate and was doing her comparison again. Of course, this only served to make Natsuki's blush worse. "So tell me, Natsuki, are the things I say in my sleep so embarrassing to you that just thinking of them turns you into a cherry? I just might have to record myself in my sleep for some ideas."

Natsuki let out an exasperated sigh. She really had to stop doing that to herself. Shizuru should at least have to work to make her blush. She silently ate down a couple more chocolates, until she and Shizuru had emptied out the box, just about at the same time her blush completely faded. Natsuki made quite sure that Shizuru didn't get her hands on any more cherry-filled chocolates, lest she pull her comparison again.

"Now," Shizuru said, standing up from the table. Natsuki looked up into her girlfriend's eyes and noticed that a fire seemed to be lit in them. "Before I end up pouncing on Natsuki, I think I'd better give her her present. Come," Shizuru walked past Natsuki, out into the hallway, motioning for her to follow. Cautiously, Natsuki got up and followed her. She cast a glance back to the box of chocolates which was still lying on the table, marveling at how anxious she must have made Shizuru for her to give up being circumspect about throwing the box away.

Natsuki met Shizuru out in the hallway. She was standing next to the doorway to her guest room. The door was shut, as usual. Natsuki had taken a peek in many months back when she'd first come over to Shizuru's place, but she'd never given the room much mind since then. She'd noticed that in the past month, the door to it seemed to be closed all the time, but she didn't think too much on it. Judging by Shizuru's presence in front of the door now, Natsuki mused that she must have stashed her gift in that room. If she'd bought it a while back, it could explain why she'd kept the door closed lately.

"I have to say," Shizuru said, "It took me some work to figure out what to get you today. I've actually been thinking about this for quite a while. I do know a lot about what you like, but none of that is really romantic enough for Valentine's Day. You kind of lucked out when you found out about my chocolate addiction. But, I did come up with something which I think will be just perfect for you."

Natsuki furrowed her brow as she tried to guess what Shizuru might have gotten her. In the end though, she was at as complete a loss as Shizuru must have been when she'd first tried to think up a gift idea. She gave an exaggerated shrug. "Alright, I give up. What did you get me?"

Shizuru smiled and let out a lovely chuckle. "Well it occurred to me that whenever we sleep together, Natsuki is quite a cuddlebunny." Natsuki was able to steel herself this time to prevent a blush. Shizuru gave a little pout at her failure but continued, "Well, I got to worrying about how Natsuki fares when I'm not there for her. I just can't imagine her cuddliness disappearing, and I can't bear the thought of her being deprived. So…"

Shizuru snuck in behind the door, making sure Natsuki couldn't see past it as she went into the room. As she waited for Shizuru to reappear, Natsuki wondered about what her girlfriend might have gotten her to cuddle with. Most of the time when she wasn't with Shizuru, she'd wake up to find herself clutching her pillow in her arms. It was far from a perfect solution, though. The pillow just wasn't solid enough, and using it deprived her head of something to lie on.

It occurred to Natsuki that this was something she really should be getting embarrassed and blushing about. Shizuru hadn't just mentioned her being cuddly, but had even gotten her a present with that in mind. It should have had her blushing and groaning at the experience, but she really didn't seem to mind. She must have changed lately, if she was alright with all of this. It was a bit disconcerting to think that she'd changed in this manner, but it also seemed she'd lost the fiercer side to her personality that would have gotten really upset about it. _I guess it makes some sort of sense. After the Carnival, we've all gone back to normal lives, and I guess I'm softening. Shizuru's probably to blame for a lot of it, too._

"Alright Natsuki," Shizuru's voice came from behind the door. "Close your eyes and open your arms." Sighing and rolling her eyes, Natsuki obeyed. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Natsuki said. She silently hoped she wouldn't end up getting pounced on again by Shizuru, but that didn't seem too likely.

Natsuki heard the sounds of the door opening and closing, along with Shizuru's footsteps. She sensed a presence in front of her, and Shizuru said, "Now hug." Rolling her eyes behind her closed eyelids, Natsuki wrapped her arms closed. They circled around a large stuffed body. Moving her arms around, Natsuki tried to gauge its shape. It seemed to be some animal, judging by what seemed to be limbs at the top and bottom. It would certainly be good for cuddling. It was just firm enough for her hug to have some presence, but soft enough to be comfortable. _Just like Shizuru…_

"Can I open my eyes now?" Natsuki asked.

"First you have to guess what it is," Shizuru said.

Natsuki felt up the stuffed animal a bit more, feeling the head a bit more this time. A couple of floppy ears clinched her conclusion. Allowing a smile to cross her face, she said, "It's Duran." She opened her eyes to find herself face to face with a dog's head. To be honest, aside from the blue color, it didn't look a thing like Duran, but that wasn't important. It would be her new Duran, and that was what mattered.

Natsuki was distracted from her new companion by the sound of Shizuru chuckling delightedly. "My thoughts exactly," she said. "I take it Natsuki likes him? Enough to cuddle with him when I'm not around?"

"Hmm…" Natsuki considered this for a minute. It certainly would be better than using her pillow, that wasn't in question. It was just that her pride had finally caught up to her and she was once more concerned about admitting to needing something to cuddle with. When she glanced over at Shizuru though, she decided that some things were more important than her pride. "Well, he's no comparison to you, but I think he'll do."

A blush made its way to Shizuru's cheeks at Natsuki's comment. That wasn't really surprising – it was hard to make Shizuru blush, but Natsuki knew that would do it. What was surprising was that Shizuru seemed to become a bit nervous. It was possible that the nervousness had been there before Natsuki's comment, but she still couldn't think of any reason for it. Shizuru quickly covered it up, though. "I'm glad Natsuki likes him."

Natsuki dropped Duran down a bit in her arms so she could look over at him and at Shizuru a bit better. Something was up, and she wasn't going to let it drop. "What's up, Shizuru? You looked nervous for a moment there."

Shizuru's mask seemed to break when Natsuki pointed this out. She gave a somewhat weak smile as she said, "Well, that wasn't my only gift for Natsuki. I was just thinking about what else I've gotten you."

"And you're nervous about that?" Natsuki said. She had to put up a bit of a mask of her own as she said this. She was desperately trying not to think about her own other gift for Shizuru. That was definitely something to be nervous about. Was Shizuru planning something similar? That would give her grounds to be nervous, but it might be a bit awkward if they both did the same thing.

Shizuru nodded. "I'm afraid I… I'm not sure Natsuki's ready for this," she said. Natsuki remarked that Shizuru must truly have been nervous. For her normal grace to break like that, she'd have to be.

Natsuki gently placed Duran down on the floor and walked over to Shizuru. She reached out to take Shizuru's hand in hers. "Don't worry, Shizuru. To be honest, I've surprised myself with what I'm ready for." She looked up to catch Shizuru's gaze and held it as confidently as she could. She didn't know what Shizuru might have planned, but she did know that she was ready to accept anything of this girl. Ever since she and Shizuru had officially become a couple, things had just started to feel right in her life. Whatever Shizuru wanted to do with her tonight, she was ready for it. She might have to fight through her modesty to do it, but Shizuru was worth it.

Shizuru nodded slightly. She still looked nervous, but she seemed to have decided to go through with this. "Alright," she said. She clutched Natsuki's hand and brought it up to her mouth for a quick kiss. "Just promise me you'll consider it, okay Natsuki?"

"Of course, Shizuru," Natsuki said, silently wondering what Shizuru might have in mind that she could be so nervous about. Particularly if it were intended as a gift, she shouldn't have much reason to refuse, should she? Well, she'd just have to wait and see.

"Okay," Shizuru said. "Close your eyes again."

Natsuki gave her girlfriend a blank expression at this. Wasn't once enough?

"Please?" Shizuru said, giving Natsuki an irresistible pleading expression. Sighing, Natsuki relented. She hadn't really expected to win anyways. "Thank you." As expected, Shizuru's voice immediately perked up. She guided Natsuki towards the door to the guest room and opened it up in front of her. Natsuki cautiously walked inside, still trying to figure out what Shizuru might have planned.

Natsuki heard Shizuru walk around behind her to close the door. Shizuru took a deep breath and nervously said, "Alright Natsuki. You can open your eyes now."

It took Natsuki a few seconds to figure out what she was supposed to be looking at once she opened her eyes. She'd been expecting some obvious present in the middle of the room, or possibly Shizuru having done a quick change into some alluring outfit. There was none of that here, though, just the room. _The room…_

Natsuki looked more closely at the room itself and compared it to the brief glimpses she'd gotten before Shizuru had closed it off. The walls had gone from white to a soothing blue, and the bed seemed to have been replaced completely; it looked much more inviting now than the aging piece that had previously occupied the room. It also appeared to have the perfect blend of colors for her tastes, mixing shades of blue and black just perfectly.

Natsuki turned around to get a look at the rest of the room. Most notable was what appeared to be an entertainment center set up. It had shelves that could be used for her television, speakers, and more game systems than she currently possessed. It would be quite a step up from her current improvised layout, and it would be able to tactfully hide her tangle of cords in the back.

Finding her thoughts going in this direction, Natsuki realized that her subconscious had already jumped to the meaning of the changes in the room. Shizuru had transformed it into her room. But, no, it didn't feel like just a room… Natsuki strolled over to the desk beside the bed, picking up one of the pictures that were placed on it. It contained a picture of Shizuru she'd never seen before. Shizuru seemed to be wearing her most loving expression in it, which Natsuki had never seen her give anyone else. Shizuru must have taken the picture specifically for this purpose.

Natsuki placed the picture back on the desk and picked up the other picture. This one contained a picture of both her and Shizuru, holding each other while looking lovingly into each other's eyes. She remembered the day that Shizuru had asked her, seemingly at random, to take that picture. She'd figured Shizuru just wanted something for herself, and she'd been more than happy to oblige for that – after a little teasing, of course.

These pictures would certainly be a good sight to wake up to, Natsuki admitted. This whole room would be, for that matter. It possessed some comforting quality that her apartment didn't. Although she'd lived in her apartment for over three years now, it had always just felt like a place to sleep for her. Since she'd lost her mother, she'd never really had any place that felt like a home for her. She'd been lost and on her own. Here, with Shizuru just one room away… she was finally home.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru's voice came from behind her, still full of nervousness. "Is everything… alright?"

Natsuki tried to speak up to respond, but she found that words were failing her. With the feeling of tears starting to drip out of her eyes, she realized she was just too emotional to speak right now. Well, she could work with that too. Placing the picture back down on the desk, she turned around and walked back to Shizuru. She found that Shizuru's fear of her possible rejection had manifested in her eyes. She hadn't seen that sight in her since the Carnival, and she wasn't going to let it last any longer than she had to.

Natsuki let her eyes meet Shizuru's as she approached, and she tried to pour as much of her love into them as she could, but maybe Shizuru misinterpreted it as her way of preparing to let her down gently, as her fear remained. Natsuki quirked up a smile just as she reached Shizuru, but rather than letting this speak for itself, her instincts took over for her. Her arms made their way around Shizuru and her hands found the back of her girlfriend's head, tilting it and pulling it forward as she met her love's lips with her own.

Shizuru was shy and surprised at first, but it didn't take long for her to give in to the kiss. Natsuki was sure to pour as much of her love as possible into it, using it to show her thanks to Shizuru. She could feel her tears starting to pour down her cheeks, but this just spurred her on to putting more passion into the kiss. She absolutely loved this woman and her gift. Her life was finally becoming complete.

Eventually, Shizuru seemed to sense Natsuki's enthusiasm, and, relieved, she wrapped her arms her girlfriend and happily started to match her energy in the kiss. She fiercely moved her lips against Natsuki's, almost as if trying to devour the other girl. Natsuki didn't plan to let her take over quite yet, though, and she was able to hold her own against Shizuru. She knew that despite Shizuru's occasional dominating personality, she truly enjoyed it when Natsuki put up a fight or even turned the tables on her. Both of them were quite capable of having fun either way, and things had yet to get dull.

Unfortunately, none of this meant that either of them could escape the very human need to catch their breaths, so they reluctantly had to part their kiss. Natsuki made up for this by resting her head in the crook of Shizuru's neck, and her girlfriend soon did the same with her. "I take it Natsuki likes her present?" Shizuru asked through her still-frenzied breathing, the fear and nervousness finally having vanished from her voice.

"Yeah," Natsuki said, allowing herself to relax into Shizuru's embrace. "I just hope you don't think giving me my own room will excuse you from having to sleep with me. I know you need the company as much as I do, anyways."

Natsuki couldn't see it, but she knew she'd just brought a blush to Shizuru's cheeks with that comment. "Of course, Natsuki," she said. "We're really going to taint Duran's innocent little mind, you know."

"He can sleep on the floor if need be," Natsuki said. Though she knew that Shizuru was trying to tease her, she was already too far in the mood for her modesty to kick it. Instead, she decided that the time was finally right for her own extra present, before her courage faded from her. She gently pulled back from the hug and said, "Alright Shizuru, my turn now."

"Ara?" Shizuru said.

"You didn't think you were the only one with the idea for some huge extra gift, did you?" Natsuki said. She moved her head in to give the momentarily surprised Shizuru a quick kiss before she pulled out of the hug and headed out into the hallway. She stepped over Duran to retrieve her duffel bag, before doubling back. She passed Shizuru in the doorway to the guest room – no, _her_ room – and headed on to the bathroom.

Natsuki dropped the bag once she entered, and started looking around a bit. Finding Shizuru's bathrobe hanging off a hook near the tub, she removed it and headed to the door. She found Shizuru waiting outside for her, a puzzled expression on her face. Not wanting to spoil the surprise, Natsuki simply said, "Put this on – only this – and wait till I tell you I'm ready." Shizuru barely had time to take the robe from Natsuki before the door was closed on her.

Left alone in the bathroom, Natsuki's nerves finally caught up with her. Shizuru's presence had been giving her the courage she needed, and without her source of strength around, she was at risk of faltering. She didn't plan to let herself screw this up, though. Natsuki forced herself to focus. _This is for Shizuru… Shizuru… Shizuru._ Barely enough courage returning to her, Natsuki started to undress.


	2. Sweet Tooth

**Author's Note: **So sorry for the wait! I got distracted with writing the last chapter toToo Late, figuring that I'd also get that out for V-day, and then after it, I came down with a cold which has held me back from being able to focus on writing. So I had to make everyone go without a good dose of smut for V-day. -sniff- Kannin na…

Anyways, a note on Shizuru's bathroom since I couldn't shoehorn an adequate explanation into the story. Her house being quite upscale, she's got her own large bathtub much like those seen in the dorms in Mai-HiME. She's also complemented it with miscellaneous accessories, such as shower heads, for the complete experience. I'm not quite sure what the typical setup is in Japan, to be honest, but I'm trying to base it off of what I've seen in the anime and extrapolating and expanding a little. Anyone who knows more than me is free to chew me out for getting it wrong.

**Beta's Note:** This certainly fits very well with Valentine's Day themes. Not saying anything else!

* * *

**Title: **Your Valentine

**Rating: **M

**Chapter 2:** Sweet Tooth

* * *

Shizuru stood in front of the bathroom door stunned for a moment. Natsuki's behavior had caught her completely off guard. Perhaps she'd been expecting a bit too much for Natsuki to freak out when she saw the present she'd gotten her, or even just to refuse politely, saying she wasn't quite ready. Instead, she not only accepted it, but the thought brought her to the verge of tears.

As if the simple shock of Natsuki accepting her gift and the realization that they would soon be living together weren't enough, Natsuki's kiss of thanks completely broke Shizuru down. She was just gathering her wits about her again when Natsuki had run off for her own gift, and now she was trying to figure out just what it might be.

Given that Natsuki had brought her bag into the bathroom with her, it seemed likely that she had some outfit in there she was planning to wear. What it could be, Shizuru had no idea. Then there was what she'd asked Shizuru to do – putting on just her bathrobe. It was probably something sexual, then, if she wanted to get Shizuru's clothing down. Perhaps she wanted to take a bath or shower together with her? But then why the bag?

Besides, if it were a simple alluring outfit Natsuki had planned, why wouldn't she just have used one of their bedrooms to change? Especially since she now had her own room here, and wouldn't it be a good way for them to christen it? _Ara, Natsuki's mind probably doesn't work that way,_ Shizuru admitted.

Sighing, Shizuru concluded that she just wouldn't be able to figure Natsuki out this time, so she started walking to her bedroom so she could change out of her kimono. Of course, she didn't really mind in the end that Natsuki could be like this on occasion. It was really one of the most exciting parts of being with her. For all that she'd expected to have to take complete control of their relationship and push Natsuki into everything, Shizuru was pleasantly surprised by her girlfriend's enthusiasm and ideas. She could be an enigma at times, but never for longer than it took for a sweet surprise, and it was always worth the wait.

As she started to remove her kimono, Shizuru reflected on Natsuki's first few surprises for her. Their relationship had started off when Natsuki had tried to give herself to Shizuru for her birthday. She'd finally broken down from Shizuru's little nudges towards a relationship, and her response was to try to jump in head-first. Her attempt was utterly adorable and sweet, but Shizuru just couldn't let her go through with it then. As hard as it was to turn her down, she wanted Natsuki to already be in love with her when they shared their first time, and so she'd taken advantage of Natsuki's offer for simply a night of making out and cuddling. They'd both gone to sleep hot and bothered, but it was able to help Natsuki finally realize her love.

It was just the next week, on Christmas day, that Natsuki confessed her love to Shizuru. She'd had the idea to actually make her confession of love be Shizuru's real present, which ended up setting a bar that she suspected would be hard to top. Not that she didn't try, though. For Natsuki's present, she'd fulfilled the girl's fantasy and gifted her with her first time.

Only after she thought she was done was Shizuru pleasantly surprised by Natsuki's enthusiastic streak taking over her and causing her to return the favor – and, in Shizuru's opinion, so much more. On a couple particularly lonely nights, she'd guiltily succumbed to temptation and brought herself to climax at the thought of Natsuki, but it was nothing like what Natsuki did for her. It was so much more powerful then. All she was able to do after it was over was to cry pitifully into Natsuki's arms and fall asleep. Natsuki had fared a fair bit better after her first time, and so Shizuru had come to the conclusion that she'd gotten off much better there and would have to find a chance to properly repay Natsuki.

Sadly, she hadn't quite had her chance to do so yet. She and Natsuki had indeed made love on a number of occasions since that night, but she had never been able to push Natsuki quite that high. She'd come to the conclusion that it was the long build-up and excessive teasing Natsuki had subjected her to that had really done it for her, especially when she also factored in the feeling of fulfillment of finally having Natsuki in this way. But when it came to doing this for Natsuki, she'd always broken down too soon. Natsuki was just irresistible when she gave Shizuru her best puppy-dog eyes, and she'd always ended up cutting off her teasing when faced with it. As good as she was at teasing, it seemed that she wouldn't be able to tease her way to victory this time without breaking her own heart, or worse, breaking Natsuki.

Finally managing to get her kimono off, Shizuru slipped on the bathrobe as she thought of other ideas she'd had for trying to properly repay Natsuki. The best idea she'd had so far was an extra-romantic evening in which she appealed to all of Natsuki's secrets to push her higher, and then just generally going slowly. Natsuki really seemed to respond to physical contact best, and Shizuru was hoping that if she worked it all just right to get Natsuki into the mood, she could push her to the heights of ecstasy without having to resort to teasing. She'd actually considered doing that tonight, but it would have been harder to pass it off as a present, especially if things didn't work out as she'd hoped.

Shizuru eyed herself in her mirror as she tied up her bathrobe. She mused that it wasn't likely to remain tied for very long, but at least this way she had control over when it came off. Noticing the clip in her hair she'd put in to give herself a bit more formal of a look along with her kimono, Shizuru briefly considered whether or not to leave it in. It might help her to retain a bit of the classy look she'd been going for tonight so Natsuki wouldn't forget about it completely, but it wouldn't really make much sense to leave it in if she were going to have a bath or shower. Reluctantly, Shizuru removed the clip and allowed her hair to fall back into its natural state. She'd just have to wear her grace in a more natural manner.

Prepared, Shizuru strolled over to the bathroom door and started to wait for Natsuki to be ready and call for her to come in. It occurred to her as she waited that perhaps it wasn't too late for tonight. She'd have to improvise a bit, and it would depend heavily on what Natsuki had planned, but she might be able to pull it off in the end. She just had to be sure to appeal to the romantic parts of Natsuki's mind as much as possible. She could do this, she just had to focus on what Natsuki needed.

It certainly was taking Natsuki a long time, though. Kimonos took quite a bit of work to get on by oneself, and getting them off wasn't much easier. Comparatively, Natsuki shouldn't have had any trouble taking her clothes off. She must have been putting something rather elaborate on, then. A kimono of her own? No, that didn't really seem like something Natsuki would do, and it certainly didn't fit with her having gone into the bathroom.

Beginning to get a bit concerned about what was going on with Natsuki, Shizuru gently knocked on the bathroom door. "Natsuki?" she called out, just loud enough that her girlfriend would be able to hear her through the door. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yes!" Natsuki answered, much too quickly. "Don't come in yet!"

Shizuru jolted back from the door in surprise, but she quickly calmed herself. She surmised that Natsuki was likely still in the middle of changing and didn't want the surprise to be spoiled. However, she also recognized a slight tone of fear in Natsuki's voice. She couldn't have simply been afraid of Shizuru entering, but what else could it be? Was she that nervous about whatever she had planned? Or perhaps Natsuki had simply decided to take advantage of the bathroom for more mundane purposes while she had the opportunity.

Chuckling at that last possibility, Shizuru relegated herself to simply waiting for Natsuki to be ready. She did consider briefly teasing the girl about this, but she figured that if it were indeed something embarrassing for Natsuki, she might push her too far. Getting blood to rush to her head was one thing, giving her an aneurysm was quite another. Unfortunately, this left Shizuru lacking her favorite pastime as she waited. She settled for the next best thing: picturing Natsuki cutely blushing in a variety of sexy outfits.

By the time Shizuru made it through her mental catalog of outfits she'd like to see Natsuki in someday, she'd come to the conclusion that her girlfriend just didn't blush enough. Granted, she did seem to do it every five minutes, but she was so cute when blushing that nothing short of a permanent red tint to her cheeks would satisfy Shizuru. Perhaps she'd be able to convince Natsuki to try a little makeup to simulate the effect. She knew that she wasn't normally into it, but perhaps if she offered to lay off on her teasing a bit, she'd acquiesce.

Finally, just as Shizuru was about to check on her again, Natsuki called out. "Alright, Shizuru, I'm ready. But before you come in, you have to promise me three things. No teasing, no joking, and definitely no laughing. If you do any of those, I will personally kill you. Understood?"

_Definitely something embarrassing,_ Shizuru determined with a smile. The thought of Natsuki voluntarily doing something that would put her in such a fragile state was really touching to her. Although teasing was fun, she knew full well Natsuki's limits. If what she'd done already had already brought her to them, it was all the sweeter, and Shizuru could easily go without teasing for one night – well, at least for as long as it took for Natsuki to recover a bit.

"Alright Natsuki, I promise," Shizuru said. "May I come in now?"

Natsuki was silent for a moment. "Yeah," she said at last.

Slowly, so as not to frighten Natsuki with the haste her impatience was pushing her towards, Shizuru opened the door to the bathroom and went in. She was mildly surprised that she didn't see Natsuki right in front of her as the door opened. Figuring then that she must already be in the tub, Shizuru walked farther into the room. When she saw Natsuki, she immediately lost the presence of mind to close the door.

"Ch-ch-choc…" Shizuru stuttered out, unable to control herself. The sight of Natsuki had seared through her mind, leaving only a haze of lust in its wake. Her girlfriend was standing in the tub at the far side from the door, not quite naked, but it wouldn't be appropriate to call her clothed either. "Chocolate-covered… Natsuki…" Shizuru let out a whimper as she felt all of her defenses dissolve before the sight.

Natsuki's body was covered with nothing but chocolate syrup, which was slowly dripping its way downwards even as Shizuru watched. The layer on her body was barely thick enough to mask her skin tone, but it covered every square inch of her body below her neck, perfect for Shizuru to lick it off. Surprisingly Natsuki didn't even make any effort to cover herself up with her arms to spare at least a little of her modesty. Rather, her right arm was curled around just below her breasts, almost as if to emphasize them, while her left hung a bit lower, stretching across her stomach.

Perhaps the cutest aspect of the display was Natsuki's face, though. She had it bent down, so adorably grimacing in embarrassment. It was entirely red, without any extra help from Shizuru needed at all. The sight of Natsuki's blush prompted the teasing part of Shizuru's mind to break through her haze and come up with a cherry-filled joke, though for Natsuki's sake, she was able to suppress it.

Shizuru couldn't find the energy to move from her position as she devoured the sight before her. If it weren't for her hand on the doorknob, she probably wouldn't have even been able to remain standing. She watched every drop of chocolate syrup making its way down Natsuki's body, paying particularly close attention to those which traced more intimate paths. It bothered her a bit that those drops which fell from the tips of Natsuki's breasts were being wasted, but she simply lacked the ability to move forward and capture them, as much as she wanted to.

"Shizuru…" The word broke Shizuru out of her trance. Natsuki said it in such a pleading tone that Shizuru's priorities immediately shifted to focus on whatever her girlfriend – her amazing girlfriend who was putting herself through such embarrassment to fulfill one of her naughtiest fantasies – might need. "Are… are you… just going to stand there?" Natsuki's face turned even redder at this statement, making the cherry-filled joke pop up again in Shizuru's mind.

She ignored it again, though. Natsuki had made her needs clear enough. Perhaps she should have come to that conclusion on her own before, but she had been quite stunned by the sight. Shizuru had learned that Natsuki's modesty came with one simple off switch: arousal. It was getting her in the mood which was the trick, and simple visual pleasures could never do it for her alone. It was subtler things that seemed to work for her, and Shizuru had been banking on her earlier gifts as helping out in this way. Perhaps they had, to give Natsuki the courage to go through with this. But of course, it couldn't last forever. She'd need Shizuru's presence soon in order to settle into things.

Shizuru had no problems with that arrangement. Now that her initial stun had faded, she was simply dying to pounce on her chocolate Natsuki and eat her up in every way she could imagine. Throwing the door closed, Shizuru quickly untied her bathrobe and allowed it to fall off of her. She walked up towards Natsuki, stepping into her tub and meeting Natsuki on the far side.

The girl drifted downwards as Shizuru approached, coming to a seat on the bench behind her. Shizuru wondered if perhaps her strength had given out to her nervousness, or perhaps she was just preparing for things to come. Shizuru brought her hand to below Natsuki's chin and gently tilted her head upwards as she bent down to capture her girlfriend's lips in a kiss. She could sense all of Natsuki weakness and nervousness in her lips. They were almost completely still, and it took Shizuru quite a bit of work to get her to tentatively respond.

Not wanting to mess up Natsuki's "outfit," Shizuru had to restrain herself from wrapping her arms around the girl. It might have helped get rid of some of her nervousness, though, so Shizuru considered it for a moment. In the end, she decided she'd try to do what she could while saving her treat for when Natsuki was ready. She finished up her kiss with the girl, which Natsuki was now at least making an effort to return, and pulled back to gaze lovingly into Natsuki's eyes.

"I love you so much, Natsuki," she said. A small smile tugged at the corners of Natsuki's lips, and her eyes showed that she'd relaxed a bit. Shizuru brought her hand up from Natsuki's chin to the top of her head, and she stroked it downwards, running her fingers through the girl's silky hair. She allowed it to come to a rest at the back of the girl's neck. "If you're ready, Natsuki, I'd like to show you just how much."

Natsuki appeared to be captivated by her gaze, just as Shizuru had hoped. Keeping her eyes, firmly locked with Shizuru's, she gave a slight nod. The blush seemed to have faded from her face a little, but not enough to take away from her cuteness. After Shizuru provided a quick hint with a flick of her eyes, Natsuki turned to the side. Supported by Shizuru's hand at the back of her neck, she slowly leaned back until she was lying on the bench, as Shizuru dropped down to her knees. Shizuru kept her face as close to Natsuki's as she could manage the whole time, and she met her lover's lips for another kiss once she was settled. Natsuki was much more willing to kiss back this time, Shizuru's little attempt at love hypnosis seemingly having worked on her.

A wet feeling made its presence known on Shizuru's back. She wondered only briefly what it was, but she quickly recognized the feeling of one of Natsuki's hugs through the chocolate. She'd been trying to keep herself from getting too messy, but apparently that was a futile endeavor. She'd just have to make sure Natsuki helped clean her off later. In any case, that she was hugging now was certainly a good sign that she was ready.

Shizuru gently pulled back from the kiss after a minute and spent another few moments gazing into Natsuki's eyes. Her love looked back with a hypnotized expression, and Shizuru was now certain that she was ready. She removed her hand from the back of Natsuki's neck and brought it down to gently hold the girl's side. It wasn't a very intimate place for it – she was saving those for her tongue – but she knew that the simple presence of it would be nice for Natsuki. Her other hand soon followed suit, so that she was holding her love tenderly.

Giving Natsuki one last smile, Shizuru went to work – if it could be called that. She started by moving her mouth over to Natsuki's ear, which she gave a playful flick of her tongue and a gentle breath of air. She could both hear and feel as Natsuki hitched her breath beneath her. She then proceeded to land a kiss just below Natsuki's ear, and then she followed it up with another just below. She kissed her way down, along Natsuki's jawbone until she reached the soft flesh of her neck.

Shizuru could feel Natsuki's strained breathing as she kissed the girl's sweet neck. It wasn't long before she latched onto the particularly tender spot at the base, which happened to be just where the chocolate on her body began. Shizuru kissed the spot deeply, feeling Natsuki strain beneath her and let out a low moan. When it was firmly enveloped in her mouth, she brought out her tongue to lick around the edges of her lips and gather up the chocolate inside.

The taste was heavenly, and judging by Natsuki's further moans, she was quite enjoying this too.. The syrup was unbelievably sweet, and Shizuru could feel herself become more aroused by the second as she consumed it. If her arousal kept growing at this rate, it wasn't likely she'd be able to hold herself back from getting some form of release, however much she wanted this to be about Natsuki. Well, maybe they'd just have to compromise.

Once she'd finished up with the chocolate, Shizuru gave Natsuki a break from working on that spot and moved on to kiss a bit lower. She repeated her process of kissing and lapping up the chocolate inside for a couple more spots, noting how both Natsuki and she seemed to get more aroused at a rapid pace. The chocolate was doing wonders for their moods, and Shizuru was starting to worry that she just wouldn't have time to lap it all up before the two of them were ready to burst.

Shizuru took a break to rise up from Natsuki's neck and eye the expanse of chocolate-covered flesh before her. She definitely wouldn't have enough time for that – especially when she factored in how simply seeing it made her feel. She was nearly drooling at the sight, and she could still feel the heat rising within her body. She would definitely have to focus on just a few key regions. She could always expand to the rest of Natsuki's body for the second round.

After one last quick peck on Natsuki's collarbone, Shizuru moved down to Natsuki's breasts. Starting on the near one, Shizuru brought her lips to the top of it and gave it a lingering kiss as she started to lap up the chocolate. She paid careful attentions to the noises Natsuki made as she did this. Right now she was letting out a pleasant purr. Shizuru was able to extend the purr as she loosened her lips from the kiss but allowed her tongue to make a few long strokes over the top of Natsuki's breast, lapping up large amounts of chocolate.

Once the top was mostly clear of chocolate, Shizuru moved down to the side nearest her and repeated the process. A wave of shivers passed through Natsuki's body as she did so, and Shizuru silently marveled about her lover's sexuality. It was amazing how quickly she'd gone from being at her peak embarrassment to being enveloped in lust and pleasure. And Shizuru had been able to do it to her. She was able to melt the fabled Ice Princess of Fuuka. And now that she was melted down, she was perfect to be eaten up.

Clearing off the side of Natsuki's breast, Shizuru proceeded to work on the bottom. This provided a bit tougher of an angle, and she ended up with her nose buried into Natsuki's chest on the first try, cutting off her air supply and limiting her ability to work down there. As she pulled back, she regretfully noticed that the locks of hair on both sides of her face had found their share of syrup too. Apparently this was why Natsuki had chosen to do this in the bath – it would be perfect for cleaning up afterwards.

But for now, she needed a little more room to work. She brought her hand in to cup Natsuki's breast – trying not to smear too much of the chocolate off of the top – and she moved it upwards on the girl's chest to provide herself more room at the bottom. Natsuki's breasts were, as always, quite nice and firm, so much so that they held their shape well even when she was lying on her back. This also had the added benefit that Natsuki felt and enjoyed it all the more when she groped her like this, as it took much more force to move them this far. As expected, this motion elicited a low moan from the girl intermixed with a gentle giggle.

The giggle, in particular, sent a wave of glee through Shizuru as she went to work on licking the chocolate off of the bottom and inner side of Natsuki's breast. Getting Natsuki into a sexual mood was a trick itself, but so was getting her to show her more girlish side. She kept this part of herself guarded quite well, so the fact that she was letting it slip out was a sure sign that she'd loosened up and started to relax now. That hopefully meant that she'd forgotten all about being embarrassed and was simply engrossed in enjoying the circumstances.

Shizuru was having her share of fun, too. She'd just finished lapping up the chocolate around all the sides of Natsuki's breasts, leaving only the center of it for her consumption. She eyed it hungrily as she prepared to engulf it with her mouth. She'd had the pleasure of "eating" Natsuki on a couple of occasions previously, and once she acquired the taste, she knew she'd never be able to get enough. But now, all of her own accord, Natsuki had pushed things to the next level, combining yet another of Shizuru's favorite tastes into the dish.

Greedily, Shizuru plunged her mouth down to capture as much of Natsuki's breast as she could in it. The pace of her action seemed to surprise Natsuki, who'd likely been expecting her to keep up her slow pace of gentling licking off the chocolate, but she certainly wasn't displeased by it. She let off a series of delighted noises that covered her entire vocal range as Shizuru did her best to eat up Natsuki's breast. She took in both the sweet taste of chocolate and the even sweeter tastes of Natsuki's breast and nipple.

Without warning, Shizuru quickly switched over to Natsuki's other breast and began to eat it up as well. She didn't waste any time licking her way around the sides first, but instead simply started from the nipple and worked around as her instincts took her. Meanwhile, she brought her hand back to apply the same vigorous treatment to Natsuki's other breast. Natsuki soon seemed to be overwhelmed by the sensations, and she started panting fiercely. "Shi-Shizuru…" she managed to get out.

The pleading tone of Natsuki's voice got through to Shizuru, and she wondered for a moment what Natsuki needed – not without keeping up her pleasuring, though. Was she going too fast for the girl? Not fast enough? That latter didn't seem too likely, though maybe Natsuki was just letting her know that she was ready for more. That seemed the most likely. Given how quickly the chocolate was getting her aroused, Shizuru was practically ready for Natsuki to attend to her own needs in quite that manner, but she'd have to wait just a little longer so she could properly prepare her lover.

Deciding that Natsuki might need a chance to catch her breath and that it might be a bit better to take this next part slowly, Shizuru slowed down her motions a little until the girl's breathing seemed to have stabilized. At this point, Natsuki let out another pleading "Shizuru…" which served to confirm Shizuru's suspicions that Natsuki just wanted more at this point. She wasn't one to disappoint, though, particularly when Natsuki used that tone on her. It was the only thing capable of preventing her from teasing to her heart's delight – she just couldn't bear to push the girl past that particular limit, however much her heart yearned for it. Perhaps a bit later in the relationship, when she was more confident that Natsuki wouldn't get overly mad at her for it, she could see just how far she could take the teasing, but for now, she caved to Natsuki's needs.

Shizuru removed her mouth from Natsuki's breast and sat back for just a moment to eye the sight before her. The image of Natsuki's breasts, mostly cleaned of chocolate, sticking out of her chocolate covering was an irresistible mix of cute and sexy, and Shizuru couldn't help but let out an unconscious whimper. She wished she could take a picture to preserve the sight, but she knew that Natsuki would never go for that. With a mental sigh, she tried to burn the image into her memory as best as she could before she went back to work on her girlfriend's needs.

Her next target stood out even through the layer of chocolate on Natsuki's body. The girl's mass of pubic hair was thicker than her chocolate coating, so it was easily visible on her now. The prospect of getting too much of Natsuki's hair in her mouth didn't appeal to Shizuru too much, but the covered region wasn't the only sensitive area she could work on to prepare the girl for when she dove in to the girl's core. With this in mind, Shizuru brought her mouth to just over the girl's inner thighs. She pulled a lock of her hair back and rotated her eyes over to Natsuki's face, catching the girl watching her in a trance. With a smile and a quick wink, she dove in.

The angle wasn't the best for getting at Natsuki's closer leg, but Shizuru got quite enough satisfaction from the other. Natsuki responded remarkably to each lick of Shizuru's tongue. The girl seemed to be squirming beneath her in rhythm with her every motion, and she was letting out quite the series of moans. In their past encounters, Natsuki had indeed been responsive like this, but it had tended to take quite a bit more teasing to get her into that state. The chocolate seemed to be working as an aphrodisiac for her, even though she wasn't the one consuming it. Perhaps, since it was working so well, Shizuru would be able to convince her to try this again. If nothing else, she'd be sure to keep a bottle of syrup around for use when the mood was right.

Finishing up with that leg, Shizuru tried to angle herself around so she could work on the other. In the end, she was only able to get at a little of the inside of it. By this point, though, Natsuki was reacting so fiercely to her touch that there wasn't much need for her to continue working on building her up. All that was really needed at this point was to clear herself enough room to work, but she could do that once she had a better angle.

As Shizuru raised her head up from Natsuki's crotch, her own arousal once again made its presence known to her. She brought in her right hand to gently stroke around Natsuki's inner thighs as her head withdrew so she could help maintain the girl's arousal. Before she crawled up on the girl, she had to make sure Natsuki would be willing to help her out. "Natsuki," she said softly, gaining what part of the girl's attention she could spare. "You think you can help take care of my needs as well?"

Natsuki seemed to be too distracted by Shizuru's circling hand to form any words, but she did get the essence of Shizuru's question. Her eyes locked with Shizuru's, she bit her lip to stifle a moan and gave a quick nod. The urgency of her action carried the added message that she just wanted Shizuru to hurry up and get on with it. Shizuru was more than happy to comply. It would be her first time feeling Natsuki's tongue on her while the girl was being pleasured herself, and she was quite curious to experience it and see how it affected her lover's ability. Natsuki had shown surprising skill with her tongue before, but Shizuru suspected that she might be even better in this state. There certainly was a strong correlation between her arousal and her enthusiasm.

Unable to stop a giddy grin from crossing her face, Shizuru stood up, taking a moment to stretch out her legs. As many times as she made love to Natsuki – and she'd been sure to do it as much as possible since they'd become a couple – it never ceased to make her feel like she was living a dream. Every new thing they did together brought her closer to heaven.

Looking back, it was really no wonder Natsuki had been able to push her to such extreme heights her first time, being her first taste of heaven after years of yearning. Every time since then she'd tried to repay Natsuki in kind, but in the end, she had to acknowledge that she'd never be able to give Natsuki enough to thank her for all the joy she'd brought her. But that was alright; she'd enjoy nothing more than to be able to pleasure Natsuki for the rest of her life. Finding out just how much Natsuki enjoyed pleasuring her in turn was another turn of luck, and she now quite looked forward to their first attempt at pleasuring each other simultaneously.

Shizuru crawled up onto the bench over Natsuki until she was in position with her arms on either side of Natsuki's hips and her legs straddling the girl's shoulders. Preparing herself for what she knew would be a very pleasurable contact with her lover, Shizuru took a deep breath and slowly lowered her body down. Her breasts were the first to meet Natsuki's body, feeling the wet syrup that remained on the girl's stomach. She mentally noted that she'd have to get Natsuki to clean that up for her later. Soon she felt the girl's breasts meet her own stomach, and she let out a light sigh as she came to rest on top of them.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, and Shizuru reveled in Natsuki's warmth and the sweet feeling of the layer of chocolate between them. Already, she was starting to feel the effects of its presence on her own breasts, and she could hardly wait for when Natsuki would be able to lick it off of her. She might even have to check and see if the girl had any extra syrup, so that she could use it down below to create that same pleasure on her now-aching lower lips – and then get Natsuki to lick it all up.

Shizuru let out a surprised squeak as she felt Natsuki's tongue make a quick trek across her slit. An image popped into her mind of Natsuki as a little puppy sweetly kissing her down there, and the cute thought sent a wave of warmth through her body that rivaled the feelings Natsuki's lick had elicited. Another quick lick was soon to follow, and Shizuru was nearly overwhelmed by the burning sensations in her loins. She pulled her arms in to squeeze on Natsuki's legs as she tried to stabilize herself. She had to focus so that she could return Natsuki's sweet kisses.

Prying her eyes open so that she could observe the work before her, Shizuru came upon the heavenly sight of Natsuki's chocolate-covered lips. Unable to resist the sight before her, she lowered her head down and buried it between the girl's legs so she could begin her feast. Slowly, she licked her tongue down, just on the side of Natsuki's slit. The reaction of the girl beneath her was surprisingly strong, as Natsuki bucked wildly from the touch and let out a strangled moan.

Almost as soon as she calmed down, Natsuki's tongue was back at work on Shizuru's slit. She didn't stop after only a lick or two this time, though. Natsuki seemed to have lost all control over herself, burying her face into Shizuru. It was as if she were passionately making out with the girl's lower lips. Unwilling to let herself be the only one feeling such amazing sensations, Shizuru proceeded to lick off the other side of Natsuki's slit. The resulting moan from this occurred right inside Shizuru's lips now, causing a very intriguing sensation. She could feel her clit starting to ache for her lover's touch, and she wondered what it would feel like to have Natsuki moaning right into it.

Her goal in mind, Shizuru went at the main course – which she promptly decided she'd been putting off for far too long. She plunged her tongue deep inside Natsuki's folds and dug out all the chocolate that had made its way inside. Somehow, Natsuki's chocolate filling was even sweeter than her coating. Shizuru suspected that it was her love's juices mixing in with the chocolate that made it so delectable. Or maybe it was the simple fact that her eating was giving Natsuki pleasure, as evidenced by the constant moaning from the girl, that made it seem so good.

Shizuru decided to go with the last interpretation, simply because it was the sweetest. She redoubled her efforts to clean out every one of Natsuki's folds of the chocolate. She allowed her tongue to drift everywhere it could inside the girl, seeming to drive her wild with ecstasy. Just as Shizuru had expected, Natsuki's enjoyment caused her to work even more frantically at eating out Shizuru. The girl seemed to be trying to clean out Shizuru's folds just as much as Shizuru was hers, only at a much more rapid pace.

Natsuki's almost panicked licking eventually broke through Shizuru's control over herself when the girl managed to draw Shizuru's clit out of its hood. The sharp bolts of pleasure from it shot through Shizuru and forced a pair of quick moans out from the girl. She tried to make an effort to recover, but Natsuki kept at it, sucking desperately on the nub. Shizuru found herself frozen as she could do nothing but let out moans into Natsuki's core.

_This isn't fair…_ Shizuru pouted silently. Why was Natsuki so able to give pleasure at the same time she received it? As soon as Natsuki's licks had started to truly work their magic on Shizuru's body, she'd been too distracted by the pleasure to do anything in return for the girl. Natsuki certainly did have her strength of will, but Shizuru had thought she'd at least be able to match her when it came to their relationship. She'd certainly been the confident one about it for much longer. Was she really weaker than Natsuki now that her confidence was matched?

_No. No, I just have to focus._ Another burst of pleasure shot through Shizuru's body as Natsuki's tongue started to circle her entrance. She had to wrap her arms around the girl's legs to stabilize herself. _Focus… on pleasuring Natsuki. I'm doing this for her. I love her. I love her enough to be able to put her needs above my own. Just need to focus… Natsuki… Natsuki…_

Keeping the thought of the girl she was doing this for firmly in her mind, Shizuru gathered enough of her focus to return to work on her lover's needs. First she worked on drawing out her lover's clit. If she was going to be moaning, perhaps she could at least find something good to moan into. It was a new angle for her to be working on Natsuki from, but it didn't take her too long to find the girl's clit. She'd devoted so much of her effort to this part of her lover's body that having it upside-down was no hindrance.

Natsuki let out another moan as Shizuru drew her clit out by gently circling around it with her tongue. With the current location of her mouth, this moan made its way deep inside Shizuru, and it vibrated pleasantly off of the girl's inner walls. She was careful not to let this distract her, though, and she kept up her efforts to keep Natsuki in the throws of pleasure. She wanted to feel the girl scream inside of her.

Natsuki seemed to have the same plans with Shizuru, and her tongue slipped its way deep into Shizuru's depths. The feeling was incredible, but Shizuru couldn't let it distract her. Even as moans were forced out of her, she made sure to envelop Natsuki's clit in her mouth to let them vibrate on it for her lover's pleasure. When she felt that she had a spare moment between waves of pleasure, she allowed her tongue to quest around, lapping up the juices that were gushing out from inside of her lover.

It seemed that Natsuki was squeaking with delight almost constantly, though she didn't let it interrupt her motions. Her tongue kept up stroking deep within Shizuru, causing waves of pleasure to burst through the girl. Shizuru was now unable to find any breaks in the pleasure, so she had to concentrate all of her effort on Natsuki even as the girl forced moans out of her. Even as she felt herself losing control as she climbed the heights of ecstasy, she had to do all she could to bring Natsuki along with her.

Shizuru's body started moving of its own accord, jerking in time with the motions of Natsuki's tongue. She could feel her orgasm impending, but she couldn't bear to face it before she gave Natsuki hers. She redoubled her efforts to pleasure the girl, quickly finding her hole and plunging her tongue deep inside of it. She wasted no time thrusting it in and out as quickly as she could to build up the other girl's pleasure. She pressed it against all the walls inside Natsuki's body in turn, pushing up her lover's pleasure as quickly as she could.

The treatment proved to be more than Natsuki could take. Her moans turned into squealing, and her body started to jerk involuntarily just like Shizuru's. Shizuru could taste all the juices pouring out from her lover; she didn't know if she'd ever seen Natsuki this wet before. All through this, though, Natsuki was able to keep up enough focus to keep her tongue moving inside of Shizuru and bringing her lover closer and closer to her peak.

Just as Shizuru was about to hit her peak, she felt a telltale clenching of her girlfriend's muscles beneath her. Natsuki's inner walls clamped down on Shizuru's tongue as if trying to hold it in place while the rest of her body tightened up. Her arms squeezed Shizuru down into her and a scream tore loose from her throat. The sound resonated deep within Shizuru, and she relished the feeling of Natsuki's ecstasy entering her in this manner.

In the immediate aftermath of her orgasm, an emotional rush seemed to take over Natsuki. She frenziedly shoved her tongue everywhere she could within Shizuru, desperate to bring Shizuru to the same pleasure. Soon she found Shizuru's clit and sucked it deep into her mouth. When it was deep enough inside, she bit down on it. Her bite wasn't too hard, but it didn't need to be with how sensitive Shizuru's nub currently was.

The bite sent an explosion through Shizuru's body. She gripped desperately onto Natsuki as her body was overwhelmed with pleasure so strong it was almost painful. She cried out from the overwhelming sensation as it wracked her body. Natsuki had removed her teeth from Shizuru's clit, but she remained kissing it and sucking it into her mouth. As the nub got oversensitive after Shizuru's initial orgasm, Natsuki's continued kissing of it was too much for her. Even through the pain the contact caused, it led her back to another peak almost as soon as the first had passed.

The second wave turned into a third as Natsuki refused to let go of Shizuru's clit. The pressure on it was now quite painful, but it resulted in such sweet pleasure in Shizuru that she was torn about whether she wanted Natsuki to let her go or not. However, as strong as the sensation in it was, Shizuru's body seemed to be just too worn out at that point for any further peaks. The pressure Natsuki was applying to her clit held her up though, keeping her from crashing completely.

Apparently realizing that Shizuru had passed her limit, Natsuki loosed her lock on Shizuru's clit. The release of it brought a sweet sense of release to Shizuru as the pain from Natsuki latching onto it during its sensitive phase abated. She allowed herself to fall back to earth and grip desperately onto Natsuki, crying into her lover.

Natsuki soon took control of the situation. She gently pushed Shizuru's legs off to the side so she could sit up and bring Shizuru into a hug. Shizuru gripped her back tightly and soon pulled her into a passionate kiss even through her tears. All she was able to think about was getting Natsuki's support. Her world consisted of nothing but feeling the girl with her and bathing in her love.

As her mind started to clear, Shizuru realized that Natsuki seemed to be sobbing as well. When she pulled back from the kiss, out of breath, the girl started letting out a frantic stream of, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Shizuru. I didn't mean to hurt you, I…"

Shizuru stopped Natsuki's apologies with another kiss. The thought that her girlfriend had picked up on her pain during that experience was so touching to her she couldn't resist kissing her again. When she pulled out of this kiss again, she starting talking before Natsuki could get started again. "No, Natsuki, it's okay. It was amazing, even."

"It was?" The worry on Natsuki's face was so cute that Shizuru had to resist the urge to kiss her again. "But… I don't know how, but I know that was painful for you." Natsuki made an adorable grimace at this thought. "I should have let you go after you came. I'm really sorry, Shizuru."

"No," Shizuru said. She gazed deep into her lover's eyes so she'd know she wasn't lying. "You're right that it was painful, but the pleasure was so incredible. It was just like my first time with you, when you broke me down so far I couldn't do anything except fall asleep in your arms, only this time it was spread out over three peaks. I don't know how, Natsuki, but you're just amazing at this…"

Shizuru cast her gaze down. She noticed a warmth in her cheeks, and realized that she was blushing. The blush had likely been there for quite a while, and yet it still wasn't going away. Her body seemed to have been almost completely drained of energy, and all she could get up the strength to do was to cuddle up closer to Natsuki. She leaned her head on the girl's shoulder and let her eyes drift shut as she rested.

Natsuki didn't say much for a few minutes. Eventually she came up with, "You're not so bad yourself, Shizuru…"

Shizuru could tell that the admission was hard for the girl, judging by the tone in her voice. However, she couldn't help but worry a bit still. She still had yet to give Natsuki such a mind-blowing experience, and she desperately wanted to let her girlfriend feel that. Deciding to make it a promise, she said, "I'm going to make you feel that too, Natsuki. You deserve such pleasure much more than me."

Natsuki didn't say anything in response, but Shizuru wasn't expecting her to. What was there she could have said, after all? She just sat there hugging Shizuru until the girl had recovered enough of her energy to move out of the hug. When Shizuru pulled back and spent a moment gazing into Natsuki's eyes, the girl shyly averted her gaze and said, "Perhaps we should get cleaned up now…"

Shizuru giggled at her girlfriend's behavior. It was so cute that she was just getting shy now, after all of this. Perhaps she was looking back on what she'd done for Shizuru initially and was once again embarrassed about it. Shizuru wasn't planning to let her off the hook that easily, though.

"No!" Shizuru said playfully, putting on a pout. "Natsuki got me all messy," she gestured down to her body, which now had chocolate smeared over it from contact with her lover, "so Natsuki has to clean me up!"

Natsuki gave out a weak chuckle. "You're just insatiable, aren't you?"

Shizuru bent in to give Natsuki a quick kiss on the nose. "I can never get enough of Natsuki." She backed off of Natsuki's lap and stood up. She took a moment to stretch her body out as she looked around the room, searching for Natsuki's supplies. "Now, did Natsuki have any extra syrup?"

"Uh… yeah, a little…" Natsuki said nervously from behind Shizuru. "What were you going to use it for?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure Natsuki had some cleaning up to do in all the right places." Shizuru looked over her shoulder and gave the girl – who was now profusely blushing – a quick wink. "How would she like a chocolate-_filled_ Shizuru?"

The look on Natsuki's face was priceless. Although in the past, Shizuru might have used such a suggestion just to tease the girl, Natsuki had now pushed their limits far enough that she could actually do it. Giddily, Shizuru went to find out just what Natsuki felt having her most intimate place filled with chocolate.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Phew! That one was actually a bit tricky to write. First time I've done a sixty-nine, which requires writing both of their experiences at once. I hope I got it across alright. Of course, let me know what you think, and if you think it worked well.

You might also notice that I haven't changed the status of this fic over to "Complete" yet. I've got something set up I could definitely do for a third chapter, but I'm starting to wonder if I should get back to work on one of my other fics. It's been a bit of time since I've worked on Perchance to Dream, and I've also got another idea I could write. (Not factoring in Too Late, as it's a bit more dependent on my mood, and the chapters are easier to squeeze in anyways.)

Now, to tell you guys about my other idea. Basically, it's an Otome fic talking about how the two of them got together initially. I had this idea a while back, but I put it on hold after seeing the great fic by gunsnroses123 detailing just this. However, that may have now been discontinued, opening the doors for me to write my own version. Anyways, feel free to let me know what you'd prefer for me to work on next. I'll be sure to take my fans' wishes into consideration.


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